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Essential Oil Crash Course
I’m going to take you through an Essential Oil Crash Course. There’s SO much information on ways to use essential oils, which on one hand is delightful. I love that natural solutions are becoming more commonplace! On the other hand, it can be really confusing to wade through all that information. Some people are extremely conservative when it comes to essential oils, and only recommend using them under the guidance of a trained aromatherapist. Some people are very liberal with essential oil usage and use them TOO much. (Yes, there is such a thing as too much essential oil.)
As a nurse, my job is to bring health education to patients and clients in an easy-to-understand way. Nurses take what doctors and other experts say, and break it down in language that the non-medical person can grasp. But this doesn’t mean I’m going to “dumb it down,” because I believe my readers are intelligent, truth-seeking individuals. You know when something’s too good to be true! You understand what is sensationalized click-bait. But, you just may not have the time or resources to process all that’s out there. That is where (I hope!) my blog and services come into play.
*Disclaimer: I am sharing information about essential oils as a Wellness Advocate with doTERRA. As a nurse I cannot give medical diagnoses or prescribe therapies, so this post is for educational purposes only. Please consult your doctor before beginning any new supplement or therapy.
10 Creative Ways to Use Essential Oils
Today I’m going to teach you about 10 ways to use essential oils. Now, this is just the TIP of the iceberg. I could easily give 100 uses for essential oils! But we’re about actionable steps here on Warrior Life Wellness. It’s not about conquering the world, it’s about implementing habits into your life that will change it for the better. So, here we go!
- Uplifting your mood during a stressful time. Who doesn’t need a little bit of stress management? We can do what we can to decrease unnecessary stress, but some stuff is just unavoidable. Things like traffic jams, kids throwing tantrums, getting scores of emails, another military move or deployment….the list could go on. So for those times you can’t control the stress, use an essential oil to uplift your mood. Oils like wild orange and frankincense can both calm the emotional brain and make a person feel more positive, just by breathing in the aroma.
- Calming problem skin areas on your face. Having issues with one’s skin can be very irritating (no pun intended!). I have personally dealt with them and it is hard to get to the root cause. While it is important to address underlying problems like leaky gut and nutrition, it’s good to have some go-to topical solutions. For topical application, it’s important to patch test the oil first. Apply a small amount on your inner forearm. Use dilution (like coconut oil) if that is how you are going to apply it to the problem area, and I highly suggest dilution. If there’s no reaction, then apply to the problem area one to two times a day. Gentle essential oils for the skin include lavender and melaleuca (tea tree). They can be used together or rotated separately.
- Getting through the 3 o’clock slump. America is addicted to its caffeine! I used to be, too. But when I started using essential oils, I stopped having my morning caffeinated coffee. It was so great! But sometimes we still need that extra “umph” to get up in the morning or to get ourselves through the 3 o’clock slump. Peppermint is an excellent choice. Simply inhale the aroma and it’ll perk up your brain and senses immediately.
- Preventing razor burn. A friend gave me the suggestion once to use melaleuca to prevent razor burn. She said to use it with shaving cream in the shower, and then to follow up the shave with a sugar scrub. It really works!
- Silky, strong hair. I use essential oils in my hair all the time. On the days I wash my hair (which is every two to three days), I put a drop of rosemary in my shampoo and lather like normal. I also made a nourishing hair spray with lavender, geranium, and sandalwood essential oils. It makes my hair so silky and smooth, and it smells amazing. I will soon be sharing that recipe!
- Diaper care. I’m not a mom, but I know plenty of moms who use essential oils on their little ones. A popular way to do this is in diaper cream and baby wipes. Lavender and melaleuca seem to be the oils of choice. Just make sure to not use essential oils “neat” with babies and young children. This means to heavily dilute the oils with something like fractionated coconut oil or a fragrance-free, non-toxic lotion.
- TMI tummy troubles. I am so thankful that my stomach issues have largely gone away. But there was one point in my life where I was using the blend DigestZen (called ZenGest in Europe) almost daily. I would take it in a capsule or rub on my belly. Recently, my go-to for occasional stuff like gas, bloating, and general indigestion has been cardamom. Pregnant women like to use DigestZen, peppermint, and/or ginger for morning sickness.
- Cleaning spray. Next week I’ll be talking about safe methods of spring cleaning, so I’ll just touch on this today. I make my own cleaning spray and essential oils are one of the (few) ingredients! I use distilled water, white vinegar, and the On Guard blend from doTERRA. This is an all-purpose spray and can be used on counters and mirrors.
- Making yourself look younger. Essential oils aren’t a cure-all, but they can promote youthful-looking skin. Frankincense is a powerhouse. My aunt uses it daily in her facial cream and feels that her skin has become more elastic. If you don’t want the hassle of DIY, doTERRA has an Anti-Aging Moisturizer which contains lavender, jasmine, geranium, and frankincense.
- Flavoring food. When used appropriately, certain essential oils can be used internally. This includes in cooking and baking! I have used essential oils in smoothies, brownies, soups and other main dishes, apple crisp, blended coffee, and more. There are herb oils (thyme, oregano, basil), spice oils (cinnamon, ginger, clove), and citrus oils (lemon, lime, grapefruit) that all can be used in food and drinks. Even lavender could be consumed in something like a lavender lemonade!
There’s so much more to learn!
Now, you might be thinking: well what about essential oils helping with sleeping, or muscle discomfort, or endurance at the gym, or when you’re fighting off something, or…..? Like I said, there are literally hundreds (if not more than a thousand) uses for essential oils, so we just touched the surface. Some of these ways might be pretty common, but I wanted to throw in the lesser-known usages like for razor burn and hair care.
If you enjoyed this post, let me know in the comments below and I will do more of these lists! I’ve also created a printable PDF on how to use some of the most popular essential oils. You can grab that just by signing up below!